"Do you have any idea how bad this could have been?!" His manager asks, shaking her head.
She's been dealing with the worst of his sudden internet stardom for the last few days and to be honest, she's sick of it. Why she ever agreed to be his manager is beyond her. He's always getting himself into some sort of trouble, usually with the press. When Best Jeanist recommended him, she was skeptical, but accepted him due to her trust in the Pro-Hero. She was starting to regret that decision.
"...Yes." He resists the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it will only irritate her further.
"We agreed to wait for the right time to make the announcement. Why would you go and tweet about it?" She clenches her fists on top of the desk, her shoulders tensed and her glasses perched on the very tip of her nose as she glares at him.
"Did you see the news?!" Bakugou asks in return, jumping upright in his seat. "They thought Mineta of all people was the father! How could I not say something?!"
"Anyone in their right mind would have seen it for the fabrication it was!" She says, shaking her head. She rubs her temples and sighs. "You're lucky no one has made the connection to Uravity."
Yeah….lucky.
In the few days since Bakugou posted his rage-induced tweet, it's blown up in his face in a way he would have never expected.
He did expect it to blow up in his face. Just in a very different way.
Tweeting "IT'S ME" at 6pm on a Thursday was not something typical of the hero. Bakugou was very active on twitter, engaging with both heroes and fans alike, but usually his tweets made sense. The sudden proclamation had left everyone confused. What did he mean? Why was that all he said? What was he referencing?
Some thought it was just a joke, a random tweet with the intent of being humorous… and failing.
Ground Zero BAKUSATSUOU ⬝ 4d
IT'S ME
IT'S ME milk ⬝ 4d
BAKUSATSOU We know?
Some thought it was a spin on All-Might's infamous catchphrase, "I am here!". Most people didn't seem to care. They just took it and ran with it.
He thought the connection would be made instantaneously. That with the news of Mineta being the latest Uravity baby daddy candidate, the internet would understand. He expected people to respond to him in shock and anger, telling him off for impregnating a beloved Pro-Hero without marrying her.
What he intended was for everyone to forget about Mineta and talk about him. How he was Uravity's baby daddy, not the little grape turd. He wanted to be done with this secret. He wanted everyone to know.
Instead... he became a meme.
The internet was a quick and unforgiving place. Within hours, users began posting "IT'S ME" in response to random posts and tagging him in memes with some form of "IT'S ME" as the caption.
Some of his favorites included: A picture of him in his hero costume with a badly photoshopped Mario hat and mustache, a painting of Joseph Ducreux with the caption "TIS I", and one particular retweet:
🈁All Might is All Right dekuluver1256 ⬝ 3d
BAKUSATSOU thats where ur wrong kiddo
"How long do you think this will last?" He asks.
He's thankful that his rash decision hasn't blown up in his face. He and Ochako wanted to announce their relationship as soon as possible, but they agreed to wait to figure everything out. His tweet could have jeopardized a month's worth of careful planning. He's relieved, of course, but being the face of a meme isn't exactly the best thing in the world.
"Not very long. These types of internet phenomenons tend to die out fairly quickly." She pauses to think. "Though, you can never know. Sometimes these things last a few days; other times they stick around for years." Her face is blank, but Bakugou can feel the smugness radiating off of her. "I will say… This could help your hero ranking."
She wasn't even trying to hide it now. Of course it will. The internet traffic from this phenomenon will unquestionably give him a boost in the rankings. However, then he'll be known as the meme hero. The guy that got to be number one because he made a stupid tweet and became a meme. He slumps in his chair and groans loudly.
"Stop being so childish," His manager says, her hands folded over her desk in a very professional pose. He glares up at her and she shakes her head in disapproval. Her phone rings and she picks it up, eyes still boring into his.
"Hello, Chizu Douro speaking." She sighs and shakes her head once more, this time not at him. "He is in my office right now. We were just talking about the whole fiasco."
Bakugou crosses his arms and slumps into the chair.
"Kousoku-san, I am not sure."
Bakugou sits up at the mention of the name. That was Ochako's manager. He leans forward and presses the speaker button on the phone, earning a swat on the hand by Douro.
"Fast hands, what's going on?" He asks.
The man sighs over the line. "I have asked you countless times to not call me that, Bakugou-san."
"Is Ochako okay?" He asks, ignoring the man.
"Uraraka-san is fine. She was a bit nauseous this morning, but she seems to be doing alright now."
"Good, but I meant with the tweet," Bakugou clarifies.
"Oh! I don't think anyone has made the connection, and if they have, it hasn't gone mainstream…"
Yet.
The implication is clear in the man's voice.
Bakugou fucked up.
"Can I speak to her?" He asks. He hasn't been able to hear her voice properly in what feels like ages.
"I… don't think she's… uh- available right now," Kousoku says. Bakugou can hear the stutter in his voice, and he knows Ochako doesn't want to speak to him.
He understands. He doesn't like it, but he understands. They had a plan, and he almost messed it up. It could have been a disaster if not for his stupidly lucky decision to not add any tags to his post. That had been more out of anger than anything else. In his own little bubble, blinded by his white-hot rage, he assumed everyone would understand what he was trying to say.
He wants to apologize. He wants to fix this mess he's created, but he understands that she needs space. The last argument they had was terrible. Ochako had blown up stronger than any of his explosions and dumped him. He knew better than to confront her when she was still processing this.
"Fast hands?" Bakugou asks.
The man sighs, "Yes, Bakugou-san?"
"Can you tell Ochako that when she's ready, I'd like to talk to her?" His eyes stay fixed to his lap. There's no one in the room except for Douro, who has been with him through much worse, but his pride keeps him from looking at her. Even after all these years, it's hard for him to admit his when he's done something wrong.
"Of course I can, Bakugou-san." Kousoku says. The man's voice is too kind. He should be livid with Bakugou. If he yelled and acted like an overprotective father, Bakugou would understand. He wouldn't blame him one bit. The kindness and understanding are what bother him. He doesn't deserve them.
Bakugou chances a look at his manager. Douro gives him a look that is too gentle to ever grace her face. The look a mother would give their child when they've made a tough, but necessary decision. He looks away.
Kousoku coughs over the line. "So…"
"Kousoku-san, is it alright if I call you again tomorrow? Perhaps when Uraraka-chan is available?" Douro asks. Bakugou shoots her an incredulous look, but she ignores it.
"I don't see why not…?" Kousoku says it more like a question, leading Bakugou to suspect that Ochako is listening next to the man but doesn't want to speak.
"Excellent," Douro says, leaning forward, finger hovering over the button to end the call. "I will call you tomorrow and let you know of any ideas I have for the announcement."
"Great, have a lovely day!"
"You as well." She hits the 'end call' button and looks at Bakugou. "Well… that could have gone worse."
"Worse?" Bakugou asks.
"It's normal for her to not want to speak to you right now. You almost jeopardized all of our plans."
"I know," He grumbles.
"But I think she'll be fine," Douro says. "This ended up biting you in the ass more than it did her. Plus, you took off quite a bit of media attention from her. I'm sure the last couple of days have been a lot less hectic for her since the whole Grape Juice scandal."
"Don't remind me." That was what made him lose his cool in the first place. The mere idea of people thinking of Mineta and Ochako together sent him into a rage he hasn't felt since high school.
"What should I do?"
"What do you mean?" Douro asks.
"I… messed up, Douro. Ochako doesn't want to speak to me." He leans forward, head cradled in his hands. He doesn't like talking about his feelings, but he understands now that he has to discuss these things with his manager, if no one else. "Last time we stopped speaking was when we broke up." He takes a deep breathe, tries to calm himself down. "I don't want to ruin this again."
Douro gets up from her chair and sits down next to him. She puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "You just need to give her some time. What she is going through is very difficult and we need do everything right or we risk making it all worse."
"That's not helping," He groans.
"Bakugou, I want you to know that this won't be easy. It's going to take a lot of patience and self-restraint. I don't want to delude you into thinking something this life-changing isn't going to affect every part of your life, because it will. Kousoku and I are here to help. It's our jobs. We are going to do everything we can to make this easier for the two of you." Douro takes a deep breath before continuing, "That is… if you want to continue with this."
Bakugou's head snaps up faster than one of Iida's legs, "What are you saying?"
"I am saying that no one would blame you for remaining silent."
Bakugou stares at her, just trying to process exactly what she has said.
"I would blame me!" He roars.
"You do not have to take responsibility for this. If you are not ready to be a father- if you do not want to be with Uraraka-chan- you do not have to. Do not force yourself to do something simply because it is expected of you." She never once takes her eyes away from his, just says what she needs to as he feels himself lose his cool.
"But I do want her! I want to be a part of our kid's life!" He shouts. He gets up and paces around the large office to calm himself down. "I… I love her, Douro. I want to be with her. How can I just pretend that I was never with her? How can you think that… that I would be so ashamed of her that I would lie to protect my own ass?!"
"Bakugou, that is not what I meant," Douro says, her voice calm and steady.
"Then what did you mean?!" He can feels his palms heating up, the pressure building under his skin. Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale.
"As your manager, I have to think of your public image. It would be irresponsible of me not to," The older woman reasons. "I understand your anger, but I meant no disrespect. There are plenty of Pro-Heroes who would have left her on her own without batting an eye. I have to make sure that you know you have options."
"What about her? She didn't have any options!"
"She did," Douro states with such certainty that it makes Bakugou stand still. It's not often that Douro raises her voice, especially with him. She's known in the industry as one of the best, always remaining level-headed. For her to come so close to snapping at him is shocking. "She choose to carry her pregnancy to term and announce her leave. She made it clear that she does not expect anything of you. What you choose to do is entirely your decision."
"...I'm not just gonna leave her alone," He says, still a bit stunned by his manager's ferocity.
"You want this," Douro says in a mix between a question and a statement.
"Yes." Of course he does.
What kind of idiot would rage tweet that he's the father of a celebrity's baby if he wanted nothing to do with her?
"Okay." She nods and gives him a small smile. "Then you need to be patient and give her space. Let her come to you when she is ready."
"It's my fault though. Shouldn't I be the one to talk to her first?"
"If she isn't ready to listen, it won't do any good."
He hates that she's right. Bakugou wants to go over to Ochako's agency right now and pour his heart out- apologize for the tweet so he can hear her voice again. He hates the fact that even without her ignoring him, they can't be seen together. There has been so much press following her that every little thing she does is dissected and reported on the news. The fact that there hasn't been many other scandals isn't helping.
"I hate this," He says.
"I know," Douro replies, patting him on the back and returning to her chair. "In the meantime, I think we should discuss our options."
"...What options?" After her whole speech about him not having to take responsibility for knocking up Ochako, he isn't sure he's going to like what she has to say.
"About how to announce that you are the father."
"Oh, okay, what are they?" He asks skeptically.
The older woman pulls up a document on her computer and exhales. "Do not say I didn't warn you. You are not going to like it."
"There's only one option?"
"Only one good one." That can't be good.
"Which is?"
Douro leans back in her leather chair. She pushes her reading glasses up into her hair and rests her elbows on the arm rests.
"You get married."
"What?!" That's ridiculous! They had just started dating. How were they expected to get married?
"Bakugou, you have to understand that Uraraka-chan is in a very difficult position. Being a single mother in our society is extremely difficult. As a pro-hero, everything is doubly difficult for her. She is expected to raise a child and be on call at all hours of the day in case there is an emergency. The fact that she is not married is not helping her in terms of her public image." Douro pauses to take a deep breath. "Marriage, while it may be rushed and raise questions, would help both of your images substantially."
"How would it help me?"
"Bakugou, you cannot just announce that you impregnated a woman, a beloved Pro-Hero no less, and not expect public opinion of you to go down. You already have a rocky relationship with the press, you don't need to add 'deadbeat dad' to the list."
"I'm not a dead-beat!"
"No, but it wouldn't be difficult for the press to spin the story in that direction. With the registry system, it is more beneficial for your child if the two of you are married. This way, even with a shotgun wedding, your child would be considered legitimate and have access to your inheritance… and your family name. I know that means a lot to your family."
It did. The Bakugou name is one associated with wealth and status. While they may be new money, his parents had established themselves in the Pro-Hero costume industry as experts. For his child to have a name associated with industry big names- and a Pro-Hero himself- was a big deal. But Bakugou also knew how much Ochako's family name meant to her.
"I don't know how much that would matter," He says.
"What do you mean? That is a very important thing." He can tell she's confused. It's expected that either the bride or groom takes on the other's family name when they wed. For them not to would disrupt the entire system.
"I know… but Ochako's name means a lot to her. I don't want her to have to give that up."
"That is very sweet of you, Bakugou, but I do not recommend taking Uraraka-chan's name."
"I don't even know if we'll get married, Douro."
"That is something I recommend."
"... I need to talk to Ochako," Bakugou sighs.
"Alright, but don't just go barging into her office! Give her some space!" Douro shouts at him as he leaves her office. "Bakugou! You can't be seen with her!"
He knows.
He just cares more about seeing Ochako.
Bakugou leaves his agency and goes home. With it being his off day, he isn't expected to patrol, only be available for emergencies. He pulls out his phone and opens up his messages.
Katsuki Today at 15:36:
Hey
He waits for her to respond.
She doesn't.
She doesn't even open the text.
After ten minutes of just staring at his phone, he groans and decides to take a shower to relieve some of his stress.
When he gets out, he glances at his phone.
There's a notification on the screen.
Bakugou hops over his couch and grabs his phone. He unlocks the screen to check his messages… only to find it's a automated text from some charity he pledged money to last month. Just when he's about to close his phone, it rings.
Ochako.
He wants to let it ring a few more times to not seem desperate, but gets impatient and swipes the screen to accept the call.
"Hello?" His voice is calm, collected. (It's not)
"Hi," She says quietly, almost as if she's regretting her decision to call him.
"Ochako."
"Yeah…"
He doesn't know what to say. He's always prefered texting, hearing the other person's voice and tone, their pauses and their hesitant silence, bothered him. He wanted quick and easy, to just say what he needed and have the backup of text to save him from the awkward pauses. Ochako wasn't like that. She liked the silence and pauses.
He can't think of anything. What does he say?
"I think we need to talk… but not over the phone." Oh shit. She's gonna break up with him again, isn't she?
"Ochako, please, if you're going to say what I think you are, just do it." If she doesn't want him anymore, she should just say it. Rip the bandage off.
"Bakugou, I'm not breaking up with you!"
Oh thank All Might. He exhales loud enough to get a little giggle from Ochako. He feels a little better hearing her laugh, even if it is at his expense.
"I just… There are some things that we need to talk about and I would rather do it in person."
"Ok, but how?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's not like I can just show up to your place. The press will have a field day if they see me even a block away from your apartment."
"Then I'll come to you."
"They'll just follow you."
"I'll wear a disguise. If I change at the train station, they won't know it's me, right?"
"I guess… Just be careful. You know how the paparazzi can get."
"I know and I will. I'll come by in a few hours- once it gets dark out. Most of the paps will probably have left by then."
"Alright, text me when you leave." He can feel his excitement building up. He wants it to be later already.
"Will do," She says sweetly. "See you then."
And so they wait.
Once the sun goes down, Ochako figures it's safe enough for her to leave her apartment without a swarm of paparazzi following her every move. She grabs a large tote and fills it with a wig and mask, as well as a change of boots. As she leaves her apartment, she puts on her reversible coat and tugs on her boots, making sure to grab her keys on her way out. Living in an apartment with civilians makes it harder for the paparazzi to spy on her, so she makes sure to look like one of her neighbours whom she's sure the press has seen. And since following civilians is a crime, they can't follow her if they aren't sure she isn't a pro-hero. Well, they can, but legally they can't take pictures.
She makes her way to the train station. Before she boards the train, she stops into the bathroom to put on her disguise. Ochako boards the train and makes it to Bakugou's apartment. The doorman knows to let her in this time and she makes it to Bakugou's suite seemingly unfollowed. She rings the doorbell and waits.
"Hi," She says.
It's been an awkward couple of days. They haven't been allowed to see each other since the news broke of her pregnancy. When Bakugou told Douro that he was the father of Ochako's baby, she contacted Kousoku immediately and the two were effectively put on lockdown.
"Hey," He responds. He shuffles on his feet, not something typical for him unless he's uncomfortable. "Uh… thanks for coming."
"It's no problem. Thanks for letting me." She smiles gently. This couldn't have been easy for him. She's sure that he's been beating himself up over his tweet.
He motions for her to follow him into the living area, back to the sofa where this whole predicament started.
"So about the tweet…"
"It's fine," Ochako interrupts.
"You're not angry?" He's sure that Ochako was livid when she found out.
He was the only person Ochako could talk to about this whole ordeal. The only one, other than her manager, that was allowed to know the whole story. The only person she didn't have to hide anything from. The fact that their agencies barely let them speak to each other didn't help her anxiety over the situation. With one tweet, he almost destroyed a month's worth of careful planning. All of the time spent alone, convincing herself everything would work out fine, could have meant nothing if the press figured it out before they were ready to go public.
"But you were…" He chances a glance at her.
"Yes." She sighs and looks him in the eye. "I… I was angry when I found out what the tweet was about. When I first saw it, though, I had no clue what you meant. I thought it was just a weird tweet."
"Oh… uh… that's good I guess?" He's not sure what to say.
"Well, yeah. We're lucky that no one has put two and two together." Ochako takes his hand in hers, tracing the lines of the scars that have formed on his skin. "It could have really blown up in our faces."
"I know." He can't look at her face, despite her soft tone. He takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology." She holds his chin in her fingers and guides his face to look at her. Ochako gives him a warm, gentle smile and he wants to melt right then and there. She doesn't hate him. He hasn't ruined the best thing to happen to him. Her eyelashes flutter closed as she moves in closer and his heart skips a beat. She kisses him and he wants to stay like this with her forever. "But you did a really dumb thing," She says, an easy smile gracing her lips.
"Any way I can make up for it?" He must look like a real dope right now with the way he's smiling at her. She's completely in his space. Sitting in his lap with her legs wrapped around his hips and her hands on his shoulders. She seems completely at home. Bakugou leans in closer, hoping for another kiss.
He wonders how they always find themselves in this position.
"...Marry me?"
Bakugou nearly chokes. She wasn't serious, was she?
"I'm sorry! I was joking!" Ochako yells frantically as Bakugou tries to stop his coughing fit. She maneuvers her legs out from their position behind him and runs to the kitchen to grab him a cup of water. "I thought you knew."
"About what?"
"Kosoku wants us to get married," Ochako says. He catches the slightly sour way she says it.
"You don't want to?" He tries to keep his mind from wandering to the worst outcome.
"You do?" She asks with a bit of surprise in her voice.
"I… Douro mentioned it. How getting hitched would be better for our images." He scratches the back of his neck. He wouldn't mind getting married to Ochako. Would she mind marrying him?
"Yeah…" She stands up from her crouched position in front of him. "That's what Kousoku-san said too."
"I didn't think you would want it." He says it like she's already confirmed his suspicions.
Ochako sits next to him on the couch and places her hand on his knee. "It's not that I don't want it. I just… it feels too soon."
"Yeah, it does." He looks up into her eyes and nods.
"But the alternative didn't sound very good either."
"Yeah…" He sighs and looks back down at the floor. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Who cared if they got married or not? Why did they have to do it before their kid was born? Who actually gave a shit?
Apparently all of Japan did.
"Katsuki, I know this is weird and neither of us wants to talk about it, but we have to."
"I know, I just- I don't know what to think right now."
"What do you mean?" Ochako asks. The concern in her voice upsets him. He doesn't want her to be sad or confused or uncertain about their relationship and he knows that he hasn't helped.
"Ochako… I meant what I said last month. I do love you." He takes her hand in his and places a kiss on her wrist. Bakugou leans into her space and presses his forehead against hers. "I don't want to ruin a good thing."
"A good thing?"
"Our relationship."
"That's the exact reason why we didn't get together in the first place." She giggles. They had been so afraid of confessing that they just let their relationship carry on until it imploded. They were scared of their feelings and they let it hold them back.
"Yeah, it is," He says with a rare softness to his voice.
"I think I understand what you mean." Ochako sits back and bites her lip. "Why should we get married if we don't feel that we're ready? Even if we are having a baby?"
"It doesn't feel like we have a choice." He places an arm around her shoulders as he leans back.
Ochako leans into his side and looks up at him as she says, "Because we don't, do we?"
"No." He chuckles, but despite the easiness in their tones, he wants to make it clear that she has a choice here. "Ochako?"
"Hmm?"
"You don't have to marry me if you don't want to."
"Yes I do," She replies quickly, smiling sweetly at him, an easiness radiating from her glowing frame.
"No, you don't." He brushes her bangs from her face and cups her cheek gently in his hand. "Fuck what Japan thinks! If you don't want to be with me, then all you have to do is say it."
"Katsuki, of course I want to be with you! It's just that marriage isn't something I wanted to rush into! And I don't feel like we have that choice here. I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me. You don't, and I don't want to suffocate you."
"Stop that bullshit right now, Ochako," He warns. He tries hard to fight back the smile that slowly inches across his face, but the look she gives him isn't helping any. "I love you. Maybe it is a lot sooner than I would have liked, but I know that I will never find someone better than you." She sticks her tounge out at his cheesy declaration. "I would be honored to be your husband. All you have to do is say yes."
"You haven't proposed," She points out.
He chuckles and gets down on one knee. He doesn't have a ring, but they are used to doing things differently by now.
"Uraraka Ochako, will you marry me?"
She slides off the couch and onto the floor with him. Taking his face into her hands, she places a quick peck on his lips and says, "Of course I will."